The Guild dives into the deadpool after one year

The Guild on Dundas West has gone belly up just a year after opening. The brunch spot gained early momentum for its decadent and boozy menu that boasted specialties like foie gras stuffed French toast and champagne cocktails. The business quietly stopped service last month amidst the lull of the winter season and has now been put up for sale with the hopes of keeping the concept intact.

The newly renovated 5,000 square foot space is being shopped around for $325,000. Fully equipped and licensed, it could be a turn-key operation for an ambitious would-be restaurateur. So, who wants to buy a restaurant on Dundas West?

This story is about a restaurant that served "shitty expensive cocktails" closing and the restaurant being put up for sale. Even if someone bought the space and opened a new bar or restaurant that served "shitty expensive cocktails", "hipstertown" would neither be gaining nor losing any "shitty expensive cocktails". It's the same number of cocktails that were there before, just with a new owner.

I second BigbossMan's comment about Jimmie. You just complain to complain. Stick to your breakfast sandwiches at Timmy's, no one cares about your opinion about people trying to make new businesses succeed on Dundas west.

A bit too pricey for the area, I'd wager. The Federal and This End Up on the same block have done well, so it's not that locals don't eat in restaurants. It's just that foie gras stuffed French toast is de trop, and the space is pretty huge. Best of luck to whoever buys it, but it may be better to ditch "the concept."

I am not surprised this place went under. The interior decoration is one of the oddest i've ever seen. They took all the fads and shoved it into one incoherent place. This is also true of their menu. We walked away from our meal without figuring out the identity the Guild was going for. Looking forward to what will replace it.

As if this matters, except that I am a person in the neighbourhood and do enjoy eating now and again, but e.g. fish sandwich at Brazil Bakery or This End Up = win. Sorry to say it (or rather, sorry it's so late for those of you who tried to run this business and not enough ppl had this complaint and maybe you could have changed your menu accordingly) but the blech menu kept me away.

The Federal and This End up are also much smaller establishments with less tables so they fill up easily, giving a busier more popular appearance and they have lower rents to pay. This place is quite large for DuWest to fill up, so it always appeared empty even with a few full tables inside. It is a good location but would be good as a pizza or pasta house.

I thought it was a bit to decadent in the menu and pricing for the area and would've done better for the Bay St crowd. The new DuWest is mainly the middle class after work crowd going out in the evening to grab a somewhat simple bite and some drinks or simple brunch'ers on the weekend.

So for $325,000 your not buying the building or are you? You're just getting the concept and taking over lease before they resort to dismantling the whole thing and sell the kitchen off in pieces?

I'm not clear on what exactly is for sale on the listing.

If its the building and everything included its a deal but if the owner of the restaurant didn't own the building and sunk themselves renovating it and absorbing all the reno costs, that's one reason it probably didn't stay a float, cause now your trying to pay rent and pay back $325,000 in costs at $15 a plate. The Landlord just got a pretty sweet reno for free.

Otherwise if its the building, I'll buy it and live there, it that's cheaper and bigger than a condo.

It is a shame. I was really pleased to see a nice, new restaurant opening up in my neighbourhood. I didn't feel it was overpriced at all but was disappointed with the menu. We only went a few times hoping it would get better. Beautiful space though.

325k?! AHAHAHA! Good luck with that! If the landlord was
smart, he/she would lock out the business owners, sell the chattels at auction, and sell the business themselves. I can only imagine how many months unpaid rent they're owed...

Owners definitely bit off more than they could chew. It also gets me worried about District Oven on College St. This place is also cavernous and a price point that feels too high for the neighbourhood. I left after only the appetizers and crossed the street to go to Bar Isabel where I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.

Actually not sure if your trying to be sarcastic BUT I know nothing of the restaurant biz other than being a customer and what I expect from an establishment. I do know my neighborhood which is Brockton Village.

This closure and for sale posting is not on a restaurant industry website, its posted on a general Toronto news blog, so please allow us to comment and question this happening in our area whether were industry insiders or not.

SO what's this other news you have as an industry insider?
"In other news, god, ya. Pizza."

I think most people are missing a big thing here: yes the menu was prohibitive, and the prices a little high, but that wasn't the main problem of the place. The service was TERRIBLE.

We had the worst experience in that restaurant, being the ONLY table we still waited for everything, from menus to food for incredible lengths of time. The food was barely acceptable, and the "sous-vide" eggs I got were a puddle of raw eggs. I wish I was exaggerating (and yes I do know sous-vide!).

This visit followed a first attempt to eat there where we were turned back by the hostess, while half the restaurant was empty, with no explanations offered. Just terrible all around.

While I hate to see businesses fail in the hood, I hope this is a lesson to restaurant owners. No matter your concept, good service is paramount to your success.

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